Antibes

Villa Francesca on the Côte d’Azur in Antibes is a development of 55 one to four bedroom apartments set in substantial landscaped gardens with a communal pool. A 15-minute walk from the old town and 900 metres from the beach, large south-facing terraces have views of the Mediterranean and the Alps Maritimes. Apartments include double-glazed windows with electric shutters plus each has a secure cellar storage space and a lock-up garage concealed beneath the building. Completion early 2005 – available from one of France’s largest property developers,
MGM French Properties.

At a glance:

Cost – E225,000 to E427,000; description – four three story buildings set on former rose-growers site; location – short walk from Antibes old town; contact – MGM French Properties – www.mgm-immobilier.fr

Languedoc

Dating back to 1838 and now designated a National Heritage building, the Valmalle silk mill is undergoing a conversion into 46 apartments. Located in the village of Laroque at the heart of the Languedoc, the Valmalle features 14 arcades and overlooks the river Herault, where canoeing, fishing and sailing are favourite local pastimes. Six apartments remain unsold, three with three bedrooms on the ground floor, each with a private garden patio of 45 sq metres, plus a cellar. Or on the third floor are three two-bedroom apartments. Purchase includes a cellar. Service charges range from €50 to €140 a month. Completion is expected next April.

At a glance:

Cost: €230,000–285,000; description: two- and three-bedroom apartments in historic renovated 19th-century silk mill; location: 40 minutes’ drive north of Montpellier and one hour from Nîmes; contact: VEF www.vefuk.com

Les Cyprés and Miramar

Two spacious villas - Les Cyprés and Miramar – each with its own pool and expansive views of the Mediterranean, are for sale near the coastal village of Beaulieu sur Mer on the Côte d’Azur. The 4,500 square metres of landscaped gardens include a boules pitch and a two bedroom staff cottage.

At a glance:

Cost – E8.5m; description – two three story hillside villas; location – between Monaco and Nice, above Cap Ferrat; contact – Knight Frank www.knightfrank.com